Electric signaling system.



S M YOUNG.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED APR-25I 1903- Pat-emem r.4,1916

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ELECTRIC SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Specifieation oi iavasae.

Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

Application filed Apri125, 190 3. Serial No. 154,275.

To all whom/it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL MARSH YOUNG, a citizen of the United States,residing at NewY-ork city, county and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and Electric Signaling Systems, of which the following is aspecification. i y

My invention consists in a signaling system'especially adapted for useon electric "railways.

of a rallway may The object of my-invention is to provide means wherebythe condition of any section be visibly, audibly or ,otherwiseindicated, as for instance, through the operation "of Semaphore arms,bells, lights, etc. I I

It has heretofore been proposed to divide an electric railway into aseries of blocks and to locate each ofsuch blocks a sign'alin device,normally held in the clear positibn by means of a magnet traversed by anelectric current derived from a battery,

' the secondary of a transformer having its in circult with a source ofcurrent primary energy, or other source of electrical energy, suchsignaling device adapted to be moved to the danger position when a carmores into a-block, by the car shunting the current from the source ofenergy around the signaling device and the signaling deas y of energyvicesubjected to the lifting-action of a counter-weight. This method ofoperation of the signals is applicable to railways where the motivepower is steam, or other source carried on the car motor, but is notapplicable to railways where the motive power is electricity,transmitted wholly or in part through the rails of the railway; and, forthe reason, that the currents employed for operating the car motors andsignals must be kept distinct. For instance, in

' a railway operated by direct current energy,

it is necessary that the signals be operated by alternating or pulsatingcurrent energy;

, in the case where the car motors are operated by alternating currentenergy, that the signals also be operated by alternating current energy,but that the two currents be of different frequency. or have different.

' phase relation.

In the case where the car motors are operated by direct current,manifestly, it willbe necessary to interpose devices in the sys tem forpreventing the direct current from influencing the devices adapted to beactu- In former applications, Serial Nos. 139,543

' filed January 19, 1903 and 144,548 filed February 21,1993, filed byme,I have illustrated the character and the use of such devices, andhave also shown an arrangement of circuits whereby the direct andalternating currents employed make use of a common return. I

I will now describe my invention as applied to a system employing adirect current for operating the car motors, and an alternating currentfor actuating the signaling devices, which system is intended as amodification of-my application Serial No. 144,548.

The'accompanying diagrams will serve to illustratemy invention. Thesediagrams are identical, with the exception that the diagram, Figure2,ill ustrates the employment of a reactance rail bond introducedbetween the ends of a divided track-rail, and across the rails, andwhich has foritsobject to make possible the use of both rails as areturn for the direct current energy.

Referring to the drawings, 5 indicates a direct current generator; 6,outgoing conductor from which current may be taken to the car motor 7through the lnstrumenmay of a trolley pole or other contact devent analternating current from flowing between the block sections 9, 9", 9, oracross the rails 9, 10, or from the section 9 to the dynamo 5. Theadvantage of using the inductance bonds is, that the resistance of thereturn circuit is thus materially reducied. And further, leakage of thealternating cur-' rent between the rails is reduced 'to a minimum. l

- To operate the signals I employ the alterloo nating generator 12, towhich is connected the outgoing conductor 13, "and return con- 1' ductor14. Connected across the conductors 13, 14, is 'the' primary 15 of atransformer 16, the secondary 17 of which is connected across the tracks9, 10. A transformer is located in each block; Connected across thetracks 9, 10, of each block is a primary 18 of a second transformer 19,the secondary 20 of which includes the coil of a relay magnet 21.Mounted under the magnet is a pivoted armature 22.

23 indicates a source of electrical energy, which may be a battery,secondary, of a transformer, or other source of energy.

24: is a magnet; 25, contact point.

26 indicates a semaphore-arm mounted on standard 27. On one end of thesemaphorearm is a counter-Weight 28, and connected to the oppositesideof the arm is a rod 29, which forms the armature of the magnet 24.

The operation of my device is as follows: Upon referring to the drawingsit will be seen that the car motor occupies the center block 9 Theeffect of the motor upon entering a block is to short circuit theprimary 18 of the transformer 19, thereby allowing the magnet 21 to dropits armature 22, and thus open the local circuit from the source ofenergy 23, to the magnet 24. The effect of which is to permit thecounterweight 28 to lift the semaphore-arm 26 to the danger position,indicating that a car is on 'the block. When the car moves out of theblock, the current in the secondary 20 of the transformer 19 energizesthe magnet 21, which attracts its armature 22, closes the circuit fromthe source of energy 23, to the magnet 24, which attracts its armature29, thus drawing the semaphore-arm 26.130 the clear position. I

I do not limit myself in any wise to a system where the car motors areoperated by a direct current and the signaling devices by an alternatingcurrent, as it will be evident to those skilled in the art that analternating generator inay be substituted for the generator 5, providedthe frequency of alternations of current delivered from this generatorbe different from that from the generator 12. Under ordinary conditionsof practice, I would make the alternations in the current from thegenerator 5, say 20 per minutefwhile that in the current from thegenerator 12, 112 per minute.

It is well understood that-a transformer adapted to Work withalternations at 20 per minute will not be influenced by a current withalternations of 112 per minute.

It is to be understood that the particular embodiment herein shown anddescribed is only one form in which applicants idea of .means may beembodied and it is, to be understood that applicant considers himself inno wise-limited by the specific embodiment shown.

In'theclaims of this application, and in referring to the separatecurrents employed for actuating the car motors and the signals, I haveused the expression differing in character, and by this expression Iwish to have it understood that there must be a difference in electricalcharacter and entirely irrespectlve of the relative strength of the .twocurrents employed. As for instance,

ing the ends of adjacent sections of said divided rail, a source ofdifference of potential at one end of each block section, a relay at theother end of each block section adapted to be operated'by saiddifference of potential, a generator of power current of differentcharacter from said first source adapted to deliver current through thecars to the rails of said system, a reactance bond connecting saiddivided rail with said generator, and a connection between the otherrall and said generator, whereby both of said rails may be adapted toconvey sub-- stantially equal amounts of said power current and therebysubstantially avoid the flow of stray power currents through the relaysand whereby the independence of each of said rails as a return conductormay be preserved, substantially as described.

2. In a si nal system, the combination of two lines of rails one ofwhich is divided into block sections, reactance bonds connecting theends of adjacent sections of said divided rail, a source of alternatingcurrent difference of potential at one end of each block section, a'relay at the other end of each block section adapted to be operated bysaid alternating current difference of potential, a generator of directcurrent-power current adapted to deliver current through the cars to therails of said system, a reactance bond connecting said divided rail withsaid generator, and a connection between the other rail and saidgenerator, whereby both of said rails'may be adapted to convey sub-'stantially equal amounts of said power cur-' rent and therebysubstantially avoid the flow of stray direct currents through therelays, and whereby the independence of eachof said rails as a returnconductor may be preserved, substantially as described.

3. In an electric railway, a trackway com-- posed of two lines of railseach composed of rail lengths joined mechanically and electrically asusual, insulating material in'serted at intervals in at least one ofsaid lines of rails thereby forming block sections, a. signalcontrolling each block section, a source of signal current connectedacross the rails of each block, a translating device connected acrossthe rails of each block, each translating device governing the'signalfor the block to which it is connected, a car, a source ofpower currentof different character from the signaling current, means conminal of themotor of the car to both nected to'one terminal of said source of powercurrent for conducting powe current to one terminal of the motor of thecar, connections from the otherterprovided from the car motor to thesource of power current, and whereby said paths may be adapted to returnsubstantially equal amounts of,power current while maintainingtheseparation of the blocks for signaling purposes, substantially asdescribed.

4., In an electric railway, a trackway composed of two lines of railseach composed of rail lengths joined mechanically and electrically asusual, insulating material inserted at intervals in at least one of saidlinesof rails thereby forming block sections, a signal controllingeachblock section, asource of signal current connected across the rails ofeach block, a translating device connected across the rails, of eachblock, each trans1ating device governing the signal for the block towhich it is connected,'a car, 'a source of power current of differentcharacter from the signaling current, means connected to oneterminal ofsaid source of power current for conducting power current to oneterminal of the motor of the car, connections from the other terminal ofthe motor of the car to both lines of rails, a reactance bond bridgedaround each of -said.insulating joints and forming an electrical pathfor the power current around said joint, a com nection including areactance bond from oneline of-rails to the other terminal of the sourceof power current, a connection from said other terminal of the sourceofpower 'current'to the other line of rails, and a reactance bondconnected across the rails in each of said'block sections, whereby twoseparate and independent return paths may be provided from the car motorto the source of power current, and whereby said paths .may returnsubstantially equal amounts of power current while maintainingtheseparation of the blocks for signaling purposes, substantially asdescribed.

5. In an electric railway, a trackway composed of two lines of rails,each line of rails composed of rail lengths joined mechanically andelectrically as usual, except at least one line of rails havinginsulating members inserted therein at intervals form ing bloeksections;signals, one governing the entrance to each block section, a source ofsignaling current,- connections from the source of signaling currentacross the rails of each block section, translating devices,

one controlled by each block section, each translating devicecontrolling the signal governing entrance to the block section by whichit is-controlled, a car for movement v upon the trackway including anelectric propulsion motor having an incoming terminal and anoutgoing'terminal; source of propulsion current for said propulsionmotor having an out-going conductor and incoming conductor, thepropulsion current being of a character dififerent from the signalingcurrent; the out-going conductor from the source of propulsion eurrentconnecting with the in-coming terminal of the propulsion motor, electricconductors connecting the out-going terminal of the propulsionmotor-with both track rails; means bridging each of the insulatingmembers which prevents the flow of signaling current from block sectionto block section and which allows the propulsion current to flow fromblock section to block section through the line of rails havinginsulating members inserted. thereinat intervals; means adapted toelectrically connect both rails at any point of any block section to theincoming conductor of the source of propulsion current which preventsthe flow of signaling current between the two rails but allow the flowof propulsion current, whereby both of the rails of the particularblocksection selected may be used throughout their entire length as separateand independent returns for propulsion current to the incoming conductorof the source of propulsion current.

In testimony whereof, --I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

SAMUEL MARSH YOUNG.

